The Alexander McGaffin Carillon was dedicated on June 9, 1968. There are about one hundred seventy true cast-bell carillons in North America. The carillon is one of only four cast-bell carillons in the Cleveland area.

The Bells

Consisting of forty-seven cast bronze bells, the carillon was made in Asten, The Netherlands by the Eijsbouts Bell Foundry for Schulmerich Carillons, Inc. of Sellersville, Pennsylvania. The bells, made of metal in the proportion of eighty percent copper and twenty percent tin, are tuned to the equal tempered scale. Each bell produces a perfect Flemish bell tone consisting of a strike tone, a hum tone a full octave below, a minor third, a fifth and an octave above the strike tone (glossary). Besides being perfectly in tune with itself, each bell must be in tune with other bells in the carillon.

The clapper of each bell is connected by a stainless steel wire to the clavier in a room immediately below the bell deck (mechanism). The weight of the carillonneur's strike on the batons of the clavier determines the loudness of the sounding bells.

The actual bell weight of the carillon is around fifteen thousand pounds, the bourdon bell weighing twenty eight hundred pounds. Around the top of each bell is a frieze made up of figures of the four gospel writers with their medieval symbols. Also included is the inscription "Schulmerich-Eijsbouts me fecit for The Church of the Covenant, Cleveland, MCMLXVIII." (Schulmerich-Eijsbouts made me for The Church of the Covenant, 1968.)
 

Dr. Alexander McGaffin

The man in whose memory this carillon is dedicated, was born in Northern Ireland of Scotch-Irish ancestry in the year 1870. He came to the United States at the age of fifteen to attend the Mt. Hermon School at Northfield, Massachusetts. After graduating from Princeton he served as pastor of Presbyterian churches in Mt. Sterling, Illinois; Brooklyn, New York; and Lockport, New York, before coming to Cleveland in 1908 to become pastor of the Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church. At that time the church was located at the southeast corner of Euclid Avenue and 14th Street. The decision to build on the present site was made after the Euclid Avenue Church united with the Beckwith Memorial Church. To Dr. McGaffin and the group of men who commissioned the architect, Ralph Adams Cram, we owe the Covenant's magnificent gothic building.

In 1920, the Second Presbyterian Church united with the Euclid Avenue Church to form the Church of the Covenant, at which time Dr. McGaffin became co-pastor with Dr. Paul F. Sutphen. They served together until their retirement in 1927. In 1928 the tower was named after Dr. McGaffin. It is therefore fitting that this carillon, dedicated to the Glory of God and to serve humanity, should be named in memory of the "builder-pastor." The inscription on the bourdon bell best describes his concern for his fellow men, "He rejoiced with them that rejoiced and wept with them that wept."
 

George Leggiero

George Leggiero has served as the Covenant's carillonneur since 1973. He has also directed the Church of the Covenant's three handbell choirs. He also directs handbell choirs at St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Cleveland Heights and the Cleveland Music School Settlement. He is also a consultant for the Handbell Choirs at Ratner School. Mr. Leggiero has been a member of the faculty at American Guild of Handbell Ringers' Festivals, and has served as the Guild's Ohio Chairman. He has been an Artist in Residence at Case Western Reserve University and recorderist with the Cleveland Baroque Soloists. He has served as President and Music Director of The Greater Cleveland Chapter of The American Recorder Society. Mr. Leggiero received his Master of Arts degree from Case Western Reserve University where he studied music history and performance practice of early music.
 

TOURS

Tours of the McGaffin Tower and Carillon are often given before concerts. The tower is open during concerts following Sunday morning worship in the summer months. Special tours can be arranged by contacting the carillonneur through the church office (421-0482).

CONCERTS

Formal concerts are given in the summer months. Audience members are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets and listen to the concert form the church lawn. Printed programs are available for those concerts. Picnics are encouraged. Contact the church office for a schedule of upcoming concerts.

WEDDINGS

When requested, the peal of the bells is rung at the end of the service and a concert usually follows. This always creates a festive atmosphere to receive guests following the ceremony.

MEMORIAL SERVICES

A brief concert of music on the McGaffin Carillon is a fitting end to a memorial service at the Church of the Covenant.

LINKS

The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America